Pita bread calculator
Pocket pita at 65% hydration — balls rolled thin and baked at max heat until they balloon.
6 × 75 g · 65% hydration
Type how much flour you have — the portion weight recalculates.
Pocket pita: a 65% hydration dough rolled thin and hit with maximum heat until it balloons — the pocket is pure steam physics. The formula anchors on Alexandra’s Kitchen, cross-checked against Serious Eats.
How it works
The dough
Water 65%, salt 2%, olive oil 5% and 1.6% instant yeast — a straight dough with a one-to-two-hour bulk. The oil keeps the thin bread supple after baking; the hydration is enough for steam without making the rounds hard to roll.
Rolling for the pocket
Divide at ~75 g, rest the balls, then roll to an even ~3 mm — evenness is the whole trick. Thick spots anchor the faces together; holes vent the steam. Let the rolled rounds relax a few minutes before baking.
Maximum heat, fast bake
A stone or steel preheated at your oven’s maximum (the sources bake at ~290 °C): each round puffs into a full sphere within a minute or two and is done moments after. Wrap the baked pitas in a towel — they deflate and soften into their pocketed selves.
FAQ
Why didn’t my pita puff?
Uneven rolling, a torn surface, or a surface not hot enough — in that order of likelihood. One dud per batch is normal even in good bakeries; it becomes an excellent flatbread anyway.
Can I add whole wheat?
Serious Eats’ version runs 20% whole wheat (with a touch of sugar to help browning) and puffs fine. Past roughly a third, the bran starts puncturing the steam envelope.
Stovetop instead of oven?
A dry, very hot cast-iron pan works — flip when bubbles rise, and many rounds will balloon fully. The oven stone is more consistent; the pan is faster to preheat.